In its study, ‘Hot Drinks: Identifying the latest trends for beverage manufacturers in the hot drinks industry' it claims manufacturers have to find ways to cater to tea-loving busy consumers by highlighting the quality of tea bags, or by coming up with packaging to enjoy loose tea on-the-go.
Microwaveable products compromise on taste
Veronika Zhupanova, analyst, Canadean, told BeverageDaily, brands have started to create novel packaging after a surge in demand for a higher quality on-the-go beverage.
She said a number of on-the-go drinks have already been rolled out to cater to these consumers, such as microwaveable ready-to-drink cups, or sealed cups that require hot water, and solid chocolate on a stick that allows consumers to brew their own hot chocolate without the need for a spoon.
The report found 14.5% of the total volume of hot drinks consumed worldwide are selected because they’re the most convenient product, but, an apparent lack of time means consumers turn to ‘quick’ options such as microwaveable products, which can compromise on taste.
“While consumers are on the lookout for more convenient products, they consider them lower quality than their less convenient counterparts,” she said.
“To offset this, manufacturers must market products as premium class through top-quality packaging materials, designs, and packaging.”
Grower's Cup Tea Brewer
As an example, Zhupanova highlighted Grower's Cup Tea Brewer which launched a drink in a pouch, ‘to enjoy a gourmet tea experience regardless of place and situation’.
The product is packaged as a stand-up pouch allowing consumers to brew loose tea on-the-go.
“This product represents genuine innovation within the hot drinks market due to its refusal to compromise on quality despite being a convenience product, and its cost-saving, refillable design,” she said.
“The pouch serves two cups, and is reusable, which means consumers can fill it with their own teas without paying for the packaging again.”
However, Zhupanova does not think take-away teas will enjoy the same level of popularity as coffee, due to tea’s ‘energy boosting’ properties which have a lower profile compared to coffee, as well as its relative ease of preparation.
“Sophisticated coffee recipes offered by teashops, feature a variety of syrups, toppings and various brewing methods, such as cold brew, and nitrocoffee, which make coffee a more desirable take-away option,” she added.
“To encourage more take away tea consumption, shops must to come up with novel and more interesting tea recipes, such as chai teas cooked from real ingredients rather than syrups and powders, tea cocktails, such as with berries or tapioca pearls, and taking inspiration from novel coffee brewing techniques, such as nitrobrewing.”